Mako Blood
by garnet eyes
Summary: A series of unrelated shorts based in and around the Final Fantasy VII universe. Characters and ratings vary per chapter.
1. Silent Cat's Paws

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K+

Characters/Pairings: Sephiroth

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 001 Silent Cat's Paws

The grating sound behind him caused broad shoulders to tense, wary feline eyes scanning the dark, scrap-littered ground. A light blinked between functioning and failing, creating a bizarre strobe-effect that hindered the SOLDIER's enhanced vision drastically. Still, the silver warrior did not move a muscle, carefully taking stock of everything around him from the torn up walls to the blood stains on floors that related no other signs that people had walked on them. The hallway appeared empty of all life, not even boasting a single functioning Shin-Ra machine, and the surveillance cameras were unfortunately broken since the constant low hum that any SOLDIER first could detect from the tiny running motors was not present. A hissing noise, like that of some hydraulic turbine, caused the elite to jerk his attention around and flatten himself to a wall behind some torn up crates should he still be undetected. Games of predator and prey such as this one were vastly more disturbing when one realized how easily the tables could be turned.

After a long, tense pause in which nothing else occurred, the General started forward again at a slow and steady pace. Backup was a luxury he was not afforded now, somewhere in or perhaps below the central pillar of Midgar. This far under the Shin-Ra headquarters, the General was mildly surprised that the monsters from the slums hadn't found some way in to infest the libraries, studies, and laboratories. More importantly, the SOLDIER was concerned with what, precisely, Shin-Ra had been working on in a place so secretive that there were no records of the area or its contents. Supposedly nothing was hidden from the leaders of each branch of the company; that was something that the elite had long been disillusioned of. But to be completely without an inkling of the vast facility buried deep away from public eye, that was entirely unexpected. If nothing else, Sephiroth would have expected that by now he would have been tested at every facility Hojo had access to; apparently the second-rate scientist had not wished to contaminate whatever was down here with any of his other projects.

Smears on the walls turned luminous jade eyes from his forward path for only a moment; it was just long enough to recognize the bloody human hand prints that had scraped along the metal, as if the individuals who made them had been trying to resist being dragged away. With a sinking sensation, the silver warrior turned back and continued down the narrow hall, wary to check rooms as he came across them. Many were in ruins, Mako tanks shattered and notes scattered everywhere. Yet the silver warrior had yet to come across a single body; there was nothing save blood to lend hint that anyone had been using the area. If Hojo had indeed been a part of this, which was almost a surety, then the SOLDIER would prefer _not_ to think of what befell the corpses. Regardless of his own ethical standpoint about whatever had been happening down here, the project was either destroyed or, equally likely, the destroyer.

Sephiroth had to wonder about his own contract to a company that took pleasure in never letting the left hand know what the right had did. While he had never had any real faith in the company, per se, uncovering this much convoluted plotting and deception was beyond the expected. Getting out of this mess intact was looking to be the last thing the SOLDIER would do before retirement, any objections be damned. Perhaps he could buy a home in Nibelheim and live the rest of his life out where it began. Zackary might join him and hadn't that little blonde trooper been from the mountain region as well? The boy had said something about becoming a hunter for the town; that would be a functional occupation and there was likely to be far less in the way of cataclysmic town secrets.


	2. Double the Trouble

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K+

Characters/Pairings: Sephiroth, Sephiroth x Cloud

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 002 Double the Trouble

Feline eyes blinked, unprepared for what assaulted his vision when he opened his folder, having been under the impression that it held the documents he needed for the board meeting. It seemed that Zackary had once again used his influence and questionable morals on young Cloud. Several of the pictures almost forced a smirk past the General's stoic control for the sheer petulance on the blonde's frowning face. It was obvious that the teen was not a willing part of the young SOLDIER's plan. At least the photographs were something to distract from the unending drivel of the board members meeting to show off their respective plumage in an attempt to cow their opposition. The silver warrior mused that he would be keeping these pictures in a safe place after he was dismissed, if for no other reason than the fact that young Cloud was camera shy and therefore was remiss about giving the silver warrior any visuals with which to fondly recall simple interactions.

A few pictures down, the General nearly growled, eyes darting up around the table in minor paranoia a moment later. All of the board was listening to Scarlet's current proposal, unmindful of Sephiroth's inattention, and he turned his focus back to the picture with a small frown. Cloud was pulling his shirt off, face hidden by the fabric that had not gotten fully over the golden crown of hair. The picture was particularly flattering for the boy's lithe body, bringing into focus the forming muscles of his chest and abdomen. However, Zackary was not supposed to be undressing _Sephiroth's_ little blonde. The brunette and young soldier were friends, of course, but that was no explanation for the picture. If there was anything showing any more flesh exposed in this stack than the silver warrior was going to cause his young SOLDIER friend significant harm.

To be honest, the boy was very fetching shirtless and blushing, as captured in the next five photographs. Feline eyes darted back up around the table quickly, finding no one paying him any mind, before returning to the pictures tucked away under a few sheets of statistics. Cloud was not yet legally an adult by Nibelheim's standards regardless of the standards of Midgar, much to the General's pent up frustration, and these pictures were not exactly helping his willpower any. Zackary was lucky he had basically given the older SOLDIER a bevy of masturbation material or Sephiroth might have injured him just on principle. He still might cause the brunette some harm, if he was seeing that next picture properly. Young Cloud's pants seemed to be unbuttoned.

"Are there any questions?"

Sephiroth very nearly jerked in his seat, abruptly forced into the correct time and place. There was nothing said, amazingly, and so the blonde woman sat back down and attention shifted to Heidegger. Discretely, the General slipped the photographs into the back of the folder to look through at a later date. Zackary was a dead man for distracting the SOLDIER from making certain nothing foul directed itself toward the military from any of the other branches of the company. The death would just be prolonged and agonizing if Sephiroth found any naked pictures of his little Cloud.


	3. Inner Strength

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Zack, Zack x Aerith, Cloud x Tifa, Sephiroth x Tifa

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 003 Inner Strength

"Hey, Spike! Haven't seen you around for a while. Sephiroth running you ragged?"

A fine blonde brow arched in amusement, even as the young blonde waved his hand to informally dismiss the soldiers who had been taking his orders. Recognizing the futility of sticking around in the hopes that they would get to train with the young swordsman prodigy now that Zack was in the picture, the group of six soldiers waved and headed off down the road to go deal with their newest monster extermination task.

"I'm his errand boy now?"

Smirking, the brunette hooked both hands behind his head and winked.

"Wasn't really what I was going for, but sure."

Frowning, Cloud crossed his arms but kept himself purposefully vague in response.

"Don't push your luck, Zack. Just because I like you doesn't mean I won't kick your ass."

Laughing, the energetic SOLDIER shook his head but gestured surrender. With a critical eye, the blonde gave the brunette a once-over before motioning the older man to join him on a walk toward the main military building in Junon.

"He's seeing what kinds of things I can handle and what kind of pressure I can take. I've been dealing with the Junon army division's situation reports nonstop. What've you been up to? You haven't been this way in a long time."

Keeping in stride, the older of the two grinned brightly before his hands began articulating a few seconds before his mouth opened.

"I've been busy keeping up with the SOLDIER reports in Midgar. With Sephiroth in Wutai for so many months, I'm de facto General and all. It's no wonder he never has time for anything, I swear. But I think I know more about how the Company's run than I ever knew before. ...Or wanted to know – but that's beside the point! Reno helped me pull a few great pranks, by the way. It's a shame you're stationed here; you missed the greatest proverbial panty-raid of the science department since forever – the Turks have so much shit on Dr. Creepy now it's actually really creepy. No joke. And because it's always best to share pain between friends, Hojo doesn't wear underwear. Y'know. Just putting that out there."

Brows furrowing, a gloved hand reached up to scrub against tan cheeks before the one currently visible azure eye narrowed on the man astride him.

"Thank you for giving me one more reason to want to go to one of the bars."

Both hands hooked behind his head, the SOLDIER beamed.

"What are friends for? Oh! I brought someone with me I really want you to meet! She's a doll. Sweetest person I've ever met and she has a sharp right hook, just warning you."

Moving his hand from his face up to his hair and rubbing through the messy locks, the younger man tilted his head to more fully face his friend.

"I'm technically off duty now, if you have the time."

Black brows arching, Zack cast a leery glance behind himself.

"Really..?"

With a completely deadpan expression wiping across his features, the young soldier groused in mostly fake annoyance.

"That squad needed to be set to their next assignment and I have been handling mission assignments as per request of Sergeant Merrywether. It means I'm all but running the military outfit in Junon now. Even the SOLDIERs stationed here have to go through me for assignments. But I like it; I know what's happening and what to expect. I mean, you haven't had to show up to correct anything yet so I must be doing something right, huh?"

With a much more subdued grin, the brunette reached out a hand and let it fall open-palmed onto the little blonde's head.

"You've been doing great. Sephiroth will be impressed when he visits."

Pale eyes dimmed before the youth turned his head away, dislodging the hand.

"Yeah. ...Hey, Zack? Have you been checking up on Tifa?"

Sapphire eyes squinted momentarily before the SOLDIER snapped his fingers in recognition.

"The hot chick that showed up in the Slums a bit before you got your reassignment here? The one who put SOLDIER third Desdan through a wall? Yeah, she works in a different bar now. Not a real upscale one or anything, being in the Slums and all, but girl knows her liquor. Most of the SOLDIERs frequent the place just to get to talk with someone totally fearless of their strength."

Azure eyes turned to watch the older male as he spoke and Zack smiled softly at his friend before tilting his head up toward the sky half hidden by the buildings surrounding them.

"She's well protected. ..You know, Spike, you don't have to do it. I swear Sephiroth would never be upset with you. He'd move on."

Blinking, the blonde smiled grimly.

"He always moves on. That's the problem. He is too willing to give up without a fight in things like this. I know he can be happy and I know she can make him happy. That's what I want."

The smile turned a little less bitter then, although the words were spoken in the same quiet tone.

"He admires her because she can talk to him. You said yourself that it's almost impossible for him to find people like that. I love Tifa a lot, but I've always known that she could do better. And, Zack, Sephiroth is one of the most important people in my life. He really could be happy. She likes him. I can't tell him to stop just because I want her to like me for my potential."

Dark brows furrowed.

"Cloud..."

Turning a calmly sincere smile toward his elder, azure eyes held steady on sapphires.

"I want them happy, Zack. I couldn't be happier if they are. When he gets back from Wutai, you and I both know she's the first person he'll visit. I'll support him every step of the way."

Sighing, the SOLDIER rubbed both hands through his hair before sending a sideways glance at the younger soldier and dropping his arms to his sides.

"Me too, then."

Smile brightening, the blonde turned his attention back on their path.

"So, who's the lady we're meeting now?"

Grinning cheekily, the brunette brought his hands back up behind his head and whistled.

"Let me tell you, Aerith can cook the best food on this planet and the next."


	4. In Retrospect

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Vincent

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 004 In Retrospect

It was raining as if the Planet had decided to drown Midgar under an oceanic flood to be rid of the reminder of the past. He would like to say that this kind of weather made him introspective, but he hated lying to himself and the truth of the matter was that he really didn't have any one trigger. He could be in the process of doing anything from the mundane to the dangerous and thoughts of what had been would jar him as if waking him from some kind of active coma. No one would understand, not that he chose to give anyone opportunity to, but the fact remained that his past seemed to finally be catching up to him now that it was given the chance.

Sometimes he looked out at the mountains and wondered how things might be different. He wondered if the decay and the underlying screams of the Planet had to happen – if this was all part of the cycle and life was nothing more than a series of painful events, some more agonizing than others. Vaguely, he thought he could recall a time when he did not believe that. A time when optimism had been second nature even in the face of what had felt like impossible odds. But then he wondered if he had ever really thought that himself, or if it was merely leftover from the muddled mix of his time in the labs. It wasn't likely that he would ever really know.

Behind him, a shadowed presence stood unmoving and for all intents and purposes uncaring. Neither acknowledged the other's existence on a more than subconscious level, perhaps knowing how unnecessary such actions would be. It would be impossible to pretend that they understood one another, what with their memories being so utterly divided on past subjects. Or perhaps the memories really weren't and he simply didn't know what was real and what was implanted. There was no one person who had been with him his entire life who would be able to help him sort through the mess of his mind and divide out the lies. Most of the people he had known were dead and those he associated with now could do nothing more for him.

It was too much of a hassle to be bothered by the lapses at this point in his life. Gaps were just a common occurrence and it was as simple as that. Things weren't different, they would never be different – _could_ never be different – and if he had learned nothing else from the experiences he remembered, brooding did nothing to help. Pain and death were simply natural. The Planet would die in due time, no thanks to the manipulations of mankind. What help he could offer, he had, and that would have to be enough. It was too much to ask for him to move on and forget, but he knew he could no longer look back or he would never stop tripping. Perhaps it was that mutual conclusion that allowed him to silently wander the path of life with the one soul alive baring a list of matching scars, side by side if not together.


	5. Uncertainty

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: T

Characters/Pairings: Sephiroth, Zack, Sephiroth x Cloud

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 005 Uncertainty

Zackary was once again ending up as the only individual Sephiroth felt comfortable speaking to about his dilemma. There was no one else he trusted implicitly enough to be able to formulate the question in his mind, much less speak it. He _did_ have someone else, but it was …awkward? to broach the subject when it was about the other. The silver warrior might not be socially competent, but he at least understood that this particular matter required greater tact than to simply blurt it out without doing the minimum research.

In typical form, Zackary was never in his office, but wandering about helping with training cadets. Since he was actually doing some form of good with the uncertain soldiers, the General was grudgingly forced to bite his tongue and hold his question until the end of the workday. Then, he was quick to corner the younger man before the brunette could head off to the Slums, as was his custom after work. The SOLDIERs managed to install themselves in an empty classroom, unlikely to be walked into again before the next day by anyone save the sanitation crews.

With a bright grin, the brunette leaned up against a completely undecorated white wall and crossed his arms. The General cleared his throat before forcing his arms to remain dead at his sides, unwilling to appear any more vulnerable than he was going to sound. He knew very little about how to express himself, but he fumbled through well enough to have a general idea of whether he would be successful in future endeavors. More accurately, the silver warrior managed to recover from accidentally making Zackary believe that he was the target of Sephiroth's affections. That had been a rather awkward moment, what with the brunette looking at once stunned, embarrassed, and uncertain how to respond. The General was fully aware of his friend's current love interest, although he had never met the young lady, and he had a feeling she would not like it should Sephiroth attempt to court her beau.

The conversation was in no way supposed to be about the younger SOLDIER, however. It was meant to be about their mutual blonde friend, whom the silver warrior was positive he was interested in beyond the border of friendship alone. Although young Cloud was just coming out of a relationship with a young woman from the Slums, the depth of the involvement had been known to Sephiroth only as "fun to go out with to clubs, but there really weren't enough common interests to sustain a conversation." To Zackary, it was that the young woman was "more interested in sex than speaking."

Mildly unfortunate that the young, barely legal blonde had his first experience in such a way, but it was unrealistic to expect any teenage boy to decline such an invitation. That wasn't the important part of the conversation to Sephiroth. What mattered was the fact that the younger SOLDIER knew the blonde's orientation was not solely directed toward the fairer sex. This meant that the silver warrior could openly ask about the possibilities instead of circumventing an actual relationship due to uncertainty. It was fairly common knowledge that the General preferred males to females personally, which was something of a throwback of his youth and never being in the presence of any female technicians, but there was speculation among Shin-Ra personnel that his standards might be too high for commitments – he was also known for one night stands and what Zackary had dubbed "pity fucks."

The silver warrior hardly bothered with what anyone thought of his tendencies; he simply hadn't found someone worth focusing on for longer than it took to orgasm. The hunt was the only exciting part of the entire ordeal and after that the person just became another nameless face who meant nothing; there was no challenge or mental stimulation beyond finding and ensnaring his next bed partner.

Cloud was not a conquest, however. He was a friend – a _real_ friend – and he was someone the General felt at ease around. The blonde was someone who had seen the SOLDIER at his weakest after one mission-gone-terribly-wrong and did not throw that imperfection in the older man's face. Cloud, who had on two separate missions caught the General at inopportune moments relieving his bladder on a tree while the little soldier was checking the perimeter of the sites of said missions and did not bat an eye. The same teen could sprawl out on the leather couch Zackary had forced into the General's office and read without making a single distracting noise and then turn right around and do some of the most inane and childish things that the silver warrior could not help but laugh at.

In every way that counted, the young blonde was exactly what Sephiroth had been waiting for. Now it was only a question of speaking his mind to the little soldier and hoping for good results.


	6. The Nature of Humanity

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: T

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Vincent, Sephiroth, Zack

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 006 The Nature of Humanity

Sapphire eyes checked him over and an appalled expression overcame normally upbeat features.

"Oh Shiva."

The broadsword now held loosely in a brown gloved right hand lowered until the tip sunk into the black dirt underfoot. With his left hand, Zack raised his radio to his mouth without once removing his gaze from the blonde.

"Sephiroth. …I need you here."

Dropping the radio onto the hard earth, Zack lurched forward only to be intercepted by a gun to his head. Black hair filling his vision, cutting him off from his friend's direct line of sight, Cloud lowered his eyes to the packed dirt under his bare feet and tried to ignore how his arms trembled. Some static came out of the radio, but nothing else, and Cloud hated himself for how much Zack had to hate him now.

A sharp movement later, the gunman suddenly lowered the well cared for weapon and Zack stood up straight, face unusually blank. Cloud didn't really have time to wonder what he missed as the SOLDIER walked around an unresisting ex-Turk and just _looked_ at the blonde. Self conscious and fully aware of his current inhumanity, Cloud fidgeted and looked away, ignoring the red surgical scars clearly visible on his bare arms and legs. Had he been without the loaned red cape bundled securely around his small form, the scars lining his torso would be even more disgustingly apparent. His face was suddenly muffled in a muscular shoulder, thick arms wrapped around his sore-mottled and dangerously underfed body. Blue eyes blinked in clear surprise, but Cloud did not speak or even adjust his head. Eventually Zack pulled back, but crouched down so that his brightly glowing Mako eyes were looking up into azure. Neither spoke, the blonde perfectly unwilling to and the brunette, well Zack liked to talk but he didn't do that when he was on a mission.

A Shin-Ra armored vehicle rumbled in the distance at the foot of the mountain, causing the SOLDIER to stand up and face that direction. Within moments Sephiroth appeared, sword poised with a slightly wild look in his eye. The truck was probably trying to follow him. Feline eyes scanned the scene before locking onto the bright sapphire eyes of his second. Snarling, the General began to take a step forward before the silent gunman suddenly appeared in the way again, sights locked on Sephiroth's chest. Cloud moved first, unwilling to have the one who saved him get into a useless battle, and grasped the ex-Turk's metal claw in both thin hands.

"It's okay, Vincent. That's Sephiroth."

Warily, the brunette lowered his gun but didn't take his eyes off of the immediate threat. With anxious eyes, the blonde turned both pale eyes up toward the elite swordsman.

"I'm sorry if we caused you to worry. I… used to know Zack really well."

Feline eyes took one brief scan of the teen's body before the silver warrior frowned grimly.

"There are no hospitals near Nibelheim that deal with in-patient surgery."

Lips pressed together tightly, the little blonde nodded once sharply.

"I know."

The metal claw flexed in a loose grip – an obvious attempt to comfort – and pale eyes turned up to the tall brunette with a soft smile of recognition. Seconds later, blonde brows drew together only a moment before the teen hunched down in a coughing fit. A black substance with the consistency of blood oozed between the thin fingers covering his mouth, dripping down onto the red cloak even as Zack hurried to his side only to be repelled by the gunman, who positioned himself protectively at the teen's side. After a minute the fit died down and the emaciated blonde righted himself, wiping one pale arm across his mouth to swipe away the remains of the attack. When pale eyes lifted once more, pupils had elongated into lizard-like slits. The sharp intake of breath from the energetic SOLDIER was all that he needed to hear before the little blonde smiled grimly.

"But hospitals aren't the only place surgeries happen."

With a weak tug against the metal hand in his grasp, azure eyes lifted up to the man next to him imploringly. Without hesitation, the brunette holstered his gun and reached around, lifting up the apparently sickly blonde. Crimson eyes narrowed angrily on the two swordsmen, obvious disappointment in the glowing gaze.

"Make no mistake, gentlemen. If he dies, Hojo's days are numbered."

The ex-Turk vanished into the surrounding mountains with speed far outstripping a SOLDIER without pausing long enough to await a reply, giving in to his charge's desire to find a temporary safe-haven to rest. No one connected to Shin-Ra was safe to be near anymore, that much was certain.


	7. Incomprehensible

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Sephiroth, Sephiroth x Cloud

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 007 Incomprehensible

It was awkward and disconcerting to be in this unusual stage where his mind practically seized and his heart rate shot up as if he had been sparring for hours, yet he had been doing nothing of the sort. Most of his days were perfectly normal, following the usual line of paperwork, meetings, training the SOLDIERs, sparring Zackary, and going on the necessary missions. This abnormal behavior was infrequent, but entirely disturbing. Through strict objective observation, it appeared that problems only happened when feline eyes caught sight of a small blonde trooper whose file the elite had pulled some time ago because of the obvious potential that the boy held. Sephiroth, who had dealt with more personal data files than he cared to remember, had never had such issues before and couldn't understand why he experienced heart palpitations and became so light-headed, acting frightfully clumsy for his normal behavior, although it seemed that no one else noticed, whenever that particular shock of sunshine hair passed him in the halls. If he had been ill, the symptoms would persist outside of select instances. The issue must have had something to do with the little trooper; that much was easy enough to deduce. What to do about it presented an entirely new problem. One that seemed to have only one solution: avoid the trigger. The silver warrior hated running away, but he likened this to strategic retreat at least until he better understood what, precisely, was wrong, and for that research and more observation was required.

At first, Zackary only knew that Sephiroth sometimes did an abrupt about-face in the hallways, but the brunette was unfortunately wily and had very recently discovered the one constant factor in the General's behavioral changes. Then the younger SOLDIER became tremendously offended, apparently _knowing_ the trooper quite well and having a very strong friendship with him, and became determined that Sephiroth should like the boy as well. So Zackary started carting the blonde trooper everywhere and Sephiroth became increasingly more erratic in how he went about his day. His secretaries were never positive where he would be and the only time he was ever _definitely_ in a particular spot was when he was required to attend a meeting. Otherwise, there was a strong possibility that his office would remain virtually untouched beyond retrieval of paperwork to be done in an entirely different location.

Even with his schedule now impossible to follow, it was merely by chance that the General ran out of room to run away. It happened to be midday and he had intended to check his office for more paperwork. The most convenient way up was the elevator and really at this time of day there were few individuals using either of the ones with access to the highest floors. Waiting as the elevator ascended, picking up and dropping off a few individuals between the level he entered on and the one he desired to exit on, the SOLDIER had been unprepared for the tiny teen to slip into the door before it closed. There was a thick manila envelop in his arms as a viable excuse for needing the elevator and the boy did not seem to notice that they were alone in the enclosed space. In fact, there was little involvement on his part beyond a crisp salute before blue eyes turned to the highly polished doors. The General hadn't even bothered to return the gesture, muscles tense although there was no room to distance himself from the trooper. It only took moments for his heart rate to escalate, so much like the strain of invading a dragon nest or hunting down tonberries. This _wasn't normal_ and it was only getting worse the longer they were alone in the elevator.

For all of the humiliation involved, the ridiculous faint feeling had earned him more than a little concern bubbling up in blue eyes, watching his figure sway on the mirror-like surface of the doors. Actually blacking out for a moment found him on the floor of the elevator with his head pillowed on blue-clad thighs, papers scattered as the trooper anxiously fanned his partially exposed face with the now empty envelop. Worry escalated for both of them – for entirely different reasons – when the elevator made a grinding sound. It didn't stop, luckily, and Sephiroth forced his arms to hoist him back into a seated position, attempting to reclaim his dignity as he then helped to gather the contents of the boy's folder into some semblance of proper order. The blonde worried over his health for a bit, unconvinced that he was taking proper care of himself judging by the quiet questions and commentary, before his stop arrived and he cast a pained expression at the opening doors. After a long hesitation in which Sephiroth was forced to hold the door to keep the elevator at the stop, the blonde shook his head firmly and tightened his grip on the reorganized folder.

Embarrassed and hating the feeling, the SOLDIER was unprepared for a tiny hand to cup against his forehead. The appendage was pleasantly cool against his skin even as he jerked back, finding the blonde directly next to him standing on tiptoe. There was a frown on boyish features even as he mumbled about temperatures and more guys who can't be bothered to care for themselves. The teen left with one final concerned glance, allowing the silver warrior the peace of an empty elevator to coddle his badly bruised pride.

This problem of his really needed a better solution than running since that apparently wasn't working correctly anymore.


	8. One Who Soothes the Soul

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Sephiroth, Cloud

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 008 One Who Soothes the Soul

Jade eyes stared sightlessly down at the book in his hands. It had been nearly five months since he had finished his duties with enough time to relax _and_ Hojo had not caught wind of it and ordered him to the labs for tests. The silver warrior was for once able to change out of his work attire into simple black slacks and a soft cotton sleeveless turtleneck similar to the standard SOLDIER gear, foregoing his gloves and boots as he took up his favorite chair in his main room. Comfortable and alone for the day, he settled more than willingly for his favorite hobby. His chosen reading material was a fanciful novel about gods and men and there was so little scientific fact or study involved that Hojo would be appalled. However, the tome was a story that his sunshine adored, claiming fond childhood memories shared between mother and son.

Perhaps it was simply a desire for memories of that emotional nature that led him to read a book he never would have chosen on his own. Perhaps there was some offshoot of petty anger and frustration at Hojo that caused him to enjoy this fairytale. Whatever the reason, the tome was interesting if based on flawed logic and the elite turned page after page without realizing it, fully immersed in the material. The eventual discussion with his blonde would be captivating. For such a meek little creature, Sephiroth had to give the boy his dues.

One cadet Strife Cloud was a clever, strong-willed mouse. He might not be very robust in body, but the silver warrior felt an odd thrum in his being when the boy was nearby. Although he should consider it folly, Zackary's rather charming girlfriend had once told him in utter confidence that Cloud was his soul mate and that they were eternally in tune with one another. It _was_ folly, but the evidence supported her claim. The teen was not and had never been afraid of him or the image he maintained. To the contrary, young Strife had once said that it must be trying to have so many expectations foisted onto him. Cloud also had a sixth sense about the General's "maintenance" visits with Hojo, appearing without fail the moment his schedule freed to simply sit at the edge of the silver warrior's bed. While that logically should not have done anything useful, Sephiroth's pain ebbed the moment he felt his sunshine's presence and he simply absorbed the calm radiating from the tiny form. Sadly, the General would never have known that useful fact if the teen had not "worked himself into a fit" that "scared me like Bahamut's wrath never could," as per Fair's recollection, and had promptly set the brunette into finding the older male.

Sephiroth still wasn't positive that he wanted Strife to make SOLDIER, but it would be more difficult to protect him without that particular backing that necessitated the General's involvement. In SOLDIER, however, that put his sunshine at risk of Hojo's machinations. Sephiroth kept his peace on the matter, at least in front of the cadet (which did not limit his admittedly coarse rants and near tantrums to Zackary), since the boy had expressed previous offense at being treated like he was frail. The silver warrior understood pride and allowed the subject to rest; that did not prevent the brunette SOLDIER from voicing the cryptic statement that Cloud's resistance had nothing to do with pride, really.

Still, life was running smoothly and Hojo had yet to even attempt to interfere with the little cadet. There was no doubt that the scientist _knew_ about the teen, but he saw nothing that could "harm" his research specimen and for that Sephiroth was grateful. The General might well and truly lose his mind under the pressure bombarding him from all sides without that soothing presence stilling the turbulence. He might have cursed if the silver warrior considered that, much like Fair's easy friendship, he never would have known this calm was missing from his life had he not experienced it.


	9. Proper Behavior

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K+

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Sephiroth, Zack

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 009 Proper Behavior

Jade eyes shot an annoyed look at the brunette behind him grinning broadly with his hands laced behind his head.

"It's not that bad, is it?"

Snorting, the SOLDIER turned back to the one-way mirror and observed. Little Strife was being interrogated by one of the Turks, looking a bit worse for the wear although that was to be expected given that it had been nearly two hours. The bunker he was assigned had been searched, along with every other bunker once the initial results were found, after two cadets were hospitalized due to a drug overdose. The number of cadets with drugs in their systems was staggering from the blood results – almost a fourth of the season's new recruits and nearly a third of all the current infantry troops were using some type of performance enhancer. The blonde was not one of them, of course, but logically he still should have been aware of _something_. Sephiroth doubted the boy had even the slightest clue; all of his free time found him studying in the peace and quiet of the General's office or getting a few minimal lessons on sword stances from either the silver warrior or his second. Strife only went to the bunkers to pass out and had only a scant few individuals from his own age group he spoke with. Most were off put by the powerful people he aligned himself with and the seriousness with which he took himself did not help matters.

He would be an easy scapegoat and the SOLDIER was not interested in seeing that happen. It would be impossible to show any outright favoritism – especially with such a serious offense – but the elite kept track of what was happening and Tseng informed him of any large discoveries. Sephiroth had no illusions that the Turk was doing this out of the goodness of his heart, either; he and the Wutanese male had a system of sorts between them and undoubtedly the brunette would call in a favor soon enough. It was only vaguely annoying that the Turk knew to get more details about anything to do with Strife, but the General could at least be satisfied that Tseng did his job _well_.

"Zackary, you do not need to be here."

The younger SOLDIER made a soft noise, coming closer to the one-way mirror.

"Still worried about Spike? You know he can take care of himself. Besides, Reno tells me they came across at least one of the sources now and it's only a matter of time before he cracks."

Feline eyes glanced sidelong at his companion before returning to the little blonde in the other room.

"Reno?"

Nodding emphatically, the brunette dropped his arms from behind his head.

"Yeah, yeah. New Turk. One of my drinking buddies. …Has a thing for blondes, too."

The leather of his gloves made a short sound when his hands clenched, but Sephiroth refused to turn his attention from the other room.

"And what does this Reno look like?"

Jovial laughter resounded next to him before Zackary spoke, voice light.

"Hoo man, chill, Seph. Reno's smart enough to know better than to move in on someone else's turf. Especially someone with your kind of temper."

The older SOLDIER could not help his minor bristling upon hearing that statement. He could not deny that his fuse was short and his revenge thorough in certain cases and aspects of his life. However, Strife was not _Sephiroth's_, per se, being rather young and not exactly worldly, regardless of the concentrated effort he put forth in bridging all of the gaps in his knowledge. The General hoped to be and stay thoroughly involved in the vast majority of these aims, but the blonde deserved his freedom to choose his friends, mentors, and everything else.

"My concern is valid, Zackary. You know as well as I do what this kind of behavior does to your military career. None of the boys who tested positive will ever be able to join SOLDIER and most will need rehabilitation that they cannot afford before they are fit to even stay at the level they are currently serving."

Resting a hand on the leather-clad shoulder, the brunette smiled sincerely.

"Yeah, and this is the most ridiculous case the military's ever suffered. Rooting out the problem before it gets serious is too late at this point, but you know how resistant Spike is to peer pressure. Even at his loneliest he refused to go do anything he wasn't sure about. Besides, he's never going to jeopardize his chance to get into SOLDIER."

With a soft, noncommittal grunt, the silver warrior shifted and followed the Turk exiting the other room with his bright feline gaze. Left alone in the room, the blonde resettled himself in his chair but otherwise refused to show any further strain in his countenance. The General turned toward the young Turk as he exited, but the demure long-haired blonde paid him little mind and wandered off to find his superior. Sephiroth would just have to get the details from Tseng later. For now, he took one last glance at the soldier before stalking away. Strife needed to properly pass through the channels before the General retrieved the boy to spend some time in a more tranquil environment. Zackary was correct in a sense and unless anything untoward happened the silver warrior no longer needed to be directly present for his blonde. He needed to make rounds and collect information about the actual culprits. Plus, it seemed, he needed to make some sort of mandatory seminar on the dangers of drug use in the military to dissuade any of the currently clean individuals from future experimentation. A proper punishment needed to be set in place as well. Sephiroth probably wouldn't even see his blonde soldier until late in the afternoon; hopefully the boy would make certain he got some rest after this ordeal before he ran off to practice more. Zackary would undoubtedly be willing to check that.


	10. Hidden

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Sephiroth, Zack

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 010 Hidden

"You wish to be an instructor, then?"

Amused sapphire eyes twinkled as the SOLDIER canted his head to the side, splayed out in an undignified fashion on one of the chairs in the General's office.

"Only if I get to form my own class."

Blinking once, Sephiroth returned to his work from his careful examination of the young brunette. Zackary was never completely predictable, no matter how long the General had observed him.

"Special training would not be a wholly unwelcome idea. Perhaps I shall see if other SOLDIERs would be interested."

Zackary shifted in his seat, resituating himself as he spoke.

"Competition, eh? I thought the mentor program was enough for most SOLDIERs."

Allowing a slight smirk, the silver warrior neatly signed off on the report as he replied.

"That system is unofficial as far as any Shin-Ra employee outside of the army is concerned. Shinra, in accordance with Heidegger's wishes and undoubtedly Professor Hojo's concerns, will not permit the formalization of such a practice. While SOLDIER is tightly knit, the rest of the army is vast and in general the faces are forgettable."

The frown marring Zackary's face was wholly expected. Sephiroth himself was not fond of how the other groups were treated. He had yet to be able to prove anything, but the General found it suspect that soldiers going MIA while stationed in Midgar only disappeared on dates that corresponded to Hojo leaving to check on projects in other research facilities.

"I feel a more formalized class might pass criteria, seeing as it would be more like giving useful training to those individuals earmarked by various offices."

Still frowning, the brunette sighed and nodded.

"Alright. You can see, but I still claim rights to final call of who's in my class."

Keeping his amusement from surfacing, the silver warrior inclined his head in a blankly curious gesture.

"You have someone in mind, I take it?"

The frown vanished in an instant, replaced by a brilliant grin.

"Spike, of course."

Of course. Sephiroth had already expected that. The silver warrior had already done his research on the little anomaly, taking great pains to make certain that he remained undetected in the system so that there would be no potential risk for the boy from sources inside the company. The short blonde was an impressive creature, the General had to admit: he was fast and agile, with untapped potential in utilizing materia and none of his instructors were wise to his skill with a blade. Young Strife Cloud had a surprisingly sturdy body for an unenhanced human but was not particularly skilled with a gun, the weapon which all recruits were required to use unless picked up by another outfit, according to every instructor review tacked to his profile. Nor did he seem very quick-witted in classroom environments based on his testing scores. It was shear chance that the silver warrior had come across the blonde practicing a phenomenally difficult kata with a broken and only somewhat moulded tree branch as a counter-balance in place of a sword. Uncertain as to why the child remained obviously unmentored when the maneuvers he readily performed with his makeshift sword were generally taught to SOLDIER thirds and mastered by SOLDIER seconds, Sephiroth held back and studied the tiny form. Actions that required great flexibility and balance were accomplished without strain multiple times, proving that it was not simply blind luck, and so Sephiroth made his unceremonious approach.

The little blonde fumbled when he spotted the SOLDIER and saluted sharply, looking much like a beaten puppy when the elite stopped at his side. It was only through subtle tactics that the General realized that the little soldier expected to be reprimanded for his actions, which were outside of normal military conduct. Far more curious about the youth's abilities, Sephiroth hinted at apathy toward writing the soldier up and instead queried about his weapon's teacher, clarifying when the teen replied with the name of the general rifle instructor. The answer that the elite received was startling; this little blonde child had taught _himself_ by studying the moves of the SOLDIERs warming up and sparring during his free periods. That type of mimicry was beyond the normal, especially when the General confirmed from further observation that the teen was completely incapable of doing the most basic katas, which he had no knowledge of and obviously had not seen yet. It was a truly fascinating puzzle that he unfortunately did not have the time nor the resources to go about solving himself. However, he was not about to allow such talent to go to waste and expertly manipulated his young brunette friend into being in the correct place at the correct time to witness exactly what talent the military was ignoring. As predicted, Zackary latched on to the little soldier immediately and began working with him daily. The youth was completely unaware of Zackary's relationship to Sephiroth, or perhaps simply did not believe it prudent to mention their previous encounter, for the brunette remained fully under the impression that he had found the boy entirely on his own and Sephiroth allowed the belief with no particular urge to correct it.

"That would be your blonde soldier, if I recall. What would make him worthy of being in your class?"

Puffing up as if personally offended by the implication that the young soldier was nothing special, Zackary locked Mako-tainted sapphire eyes on the head SOLDIER.

"Kid's a lot better than he thinks he is. He's got real talent but he suffers from too much humility, if you ask me. I bet he'd make a great SOLDIER. Might even kick my ass one day and then kick yours."

Raising one fine silver brow, more amused than anything else, the elite suppressed a smirk and leaned back in his seat. There was no possible way that the brunette was unaware of the laughter in jade eyes, sapphire eyes alight in equal mirth as the younger SOLDIER stretched his arms over his head and winked as he lowered them back to the armrests.

"My money's on the kid, old timer."

Snorting, the silver warrior returned his focus to the stack of reports on his desk and fondly thought that young Zackary was far too impudent for his skills. After all, the little blonde was going to beat him first according to the brunette's own prediction.


	11. Inquiry

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K+

Characters/Pairings: Sephiroth, Ms. Strife, Sephiroth x Cloud

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 011 Inquiry

The door behind him swung open, interrupting idle thoughts, and a short native cloaked in a thick brown drape of cloth strode in, bent forward under the weight of the hefty sack gripped tight in both small hands. Dropping the bag to the floor and swinging the door shut, the individual heaved a breath of air before turning to the counter.

"This be all the mending. Anything else ye be needing?"

The innkeeper's son stood quickly to hurry over to the dropped satchel, snatching it off the floor as he reached the, judging by the voice, woman who had chosen to remain cloaked.

"Ma'll be thanking ye later, Missus Strife. If'in there be anything else for work, she'll let ye know."

Jade eyes blinked, surprise flitting through his mind that he might be lucky enough to encounter young Cloud's relatives on this endless mission that kept the SOLDIER away from his little soldier. The woman turned, reaching for the door and stepping out into the town square without another word, prompting the General to stalk across the room with full intention of speaking with her. Perhaps if he was lucky then she would give him hints as to how to please the little teen with greater consistently. Sephiroth had noticed that he seemed to have poor karma when it came to his dealings with the soldier, making the boy go cold just as frequently as hot. It would be a nice change to get through a day without sticking his foot in his mouth.

By the door the innkeeper's son made a short sound of distaste before turning and mumbling as he dragged the bag of textiles behind the counter.

"Evil ol' loon."

Shooting a sharp glance at the youth, Sephiroth promptly strode through the door and followed the woman out into the rain. She walked quickly, but the SOLDIER was faster and she obviously had not expected to be followed. Just as he caught up to the small woman, the General spoke in order to draw her attention.

"Madam."

The cloaked form gave a minor jump forward before turning to look at him.

"Ah, ye be one of the Shin-Ra men. What may I do for ye?"

Bowing his head respectfully to the older woman, Sephiroth replied in an apathetic tone, unwilling to appear overeager.

"I was hoping that I might speak with you."

Strife was silent for a moment before there was a soft sigh and she turned away.

"Come. We'll be speaking indoors or not at all."

Amused by the subtle command, the silver warrior followed her back to a quaint little house wedged between two larger homes. The inside was mismatched and the carpets threadbare, but the woman had more dignity than to fuss over such things. Inside the door she shrugged off the cloak, allowing her heavy skirts to ruffle and her long golden hair to fall in a thick rope down her back. Bright blue eyes gave the SOLDIER a quick once-over before she gestured him to the small dining table and swiftly put some water in a pot to boil over the fireplace. Jade eyes tracked the small woman as she went about setting up some mugs of mead before coming around to sit opposite the General, presenting him with a mug. Already the silver warrior felt he was gaining useful information, becoming aware of the true background that his little soldier hailed from and contemplating what things the teen might like to have now.

Sephiroth turned from his inner musing quickly as to not appear rude, instead studying the woman as he picked up the drink, not at all surprised to be offered alcohol at this time of day in this town. It would have been too much to ask her age, but with the younger Strife claiming to be age sixteen and the crass comment made by the innkeeper's son, the elite wagered that she was probably in her thirties. Rather contrarily, it seemed to the elite, she looked to be in her early twenties at most, all of the lines associated with stress, age, and life experience somehow leaving her features untouched.

Blinking, the General reigned in his thoughts and took a small sip of his drink. Strife was patiently watching him, her own mug cradled in both hands.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

Unmoved, the blonde nodded acceptance but did not take her eyes from his.

"Ye be here about Cloud, no doubt."

Feline eyes blinked once, the only outward expression of surprise, before the SOLDIER placed his mug on the warped wood of the tabletop and laced his fingers under his chin, elbows braced at the edge of the table.

"I am merely curious."

Silence descended heavily, thick with distrust, before those blue eyes aged twenty years and the woman leaned back against the chair.

"Cloud be special to me. He be a gift from Odin himself, blessed by the heavens. What ye be wanting in particular, Mr. Shin-Ra?"

Lips thinning, the SOLDIER shook his head gently.

"My name is Sephiroth, madam. My questions are my own, not Shin-Ra's."

Sharp azure eyes watched him, the glow of a long line of native Nibelheim descendants brightening her gaze.

"As ye like, lad."

Taking a longer draught of the honey-flavored alcohol, the SOLDIER sorted through his thoughts before he began subtly probing.

"Your son is very bright for his age."

Laughing, a breathy sound that showed signs of a worn life, the blonde shook her head and eyed the General with secret amusement.

"Ye mean he be smart for his home. This be true. Half the children here canna' read nowadays. Tutors be expensive but I be one of the privileged. Cloud learned from me as best I be able to teach."

Pale eyes became unfocused for a moment before the woman turned away, standing up and checking her pot of water. The silver warrior watched her, bemused by her staunch denial of his attempts at tact.

"You do not strike me as the type to keep materia handy, though."

Pale eyes glanced back at him, watching the SOLDIER drink his mead as feline eyes steadfastly gazed at her, placid and lacking any intonation of a challenge.

"Materia? If'in ye be referring to the crystals, we've harvested them before. The Strifes be the only miners for the jewels in Nibelheim. It be a declining business with the mines drying up, though. Cloud be the man of the house and he be moved to find a job to support us now."

Feline eyes narrowed at the information. That meant his little soldier had lost his father at some point, which the SOLDIER felt he should have known before but he never thought to ask such a thing in the past. Perhaps young Cloud would be pleased if the General set up some kind of trust fund for his mother to ease some of the pressure from the blonde's mind. Strife moved the pot out of the fire, oblivious to the silver warrior's thoughts, and turned back toward the elite, hands braced against her hips.

"Ye best ask what ye really came here for, Mr. Sephiroth. Until my boy be getting better pay, I be plenty busy to keep our house."

The SOLDIER knew a dismissal when he saw one, but his curiosity had not yet been assuaged.

"Forgive my intrusion, madam, I did not mean to distract you from your business. Perhaps you would permit me to come at some other time. For now, please allow me to inquire as to what types of games the children here play?"

Azure eyes blinked, obviously surprised by the seeming switch in topics.

"Ah, just the usual. Be playing ball all hours of the day, gossiping and spreading rumors like their elders. The usual mischief of children."

Frowning, Sephiroth nodded and stood, bowing his head once more.

"Thank you."

Strife turned back to her pot, rolling up her sleeves to get to work and ignoring the sharp clack of heavy boots on her floor. Sephiroth made his leave and glanced around the town, no longer believing he had an inkling as to why the little soldier was so handy with a blade. With a heavy sigh, the SOLDIER headed back to the inn feeling like he knew even less about his beau than before. The lady hardly clarified anything.


	12. Situation

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, garnetmoon. livejournal. com, y-gallery. net

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Sephiroth

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 012 Situation

Normally he would not ask such things, but given opportunity and the current rather generous demeanor of the little warrior, Sephiroth decided to test his luck a bit. The blonde was perfectly at ease in the little hotel bed, arms folded neatly with both hands behind his head in a semi-meditative pose, disregarding his guest seated on the bottom of the old, lumpy mattress by both surprisingly small feet. For his part, the silver warrior attempted to maintain a veneer of mild disinterest mixed with a healthy dose of apathy, but the little ex-soldier undoubtedly saw through the act instantly from all of the time he spent around that ex-Turk.

"That's a bit personal, don't you think?"

With a sneer, the ex-SOLDIER sent a leery-eyed glare toward the blonde and was not even met by a blue-eyed stare – Cloud was still absently gazing up at the ceiling. Crossing his arms in both annoyance and protest, the elite snorted but did not take his eyes from the other man.

"Personal? And what, pray tell, are you unaware of in my life? The _good professor_ was kind enough to leave detailed notes of every facet of my existence down to my bowel movements. I'm certain you've read up on me, what with thwarting my nefarious plot to rule the world and any subsequent struggles for power. Comparatively speaking, I am rather at a disadvantage."

Azure eyes flickered rapidly across the ceiling but did not descend, the blonde's body otherwise remaining still and relaxed throughout the discussion thus far. After several minutes – a sufficient enough time for the silver warrior to glower and clench his fists without uncrossing his arms, certain that he was being purposefully ignored – a weighted, nearly exhausted sigh erupted from the supine blonde.

"I suppose you have a point. What specifically are you looking for?"

Feigning disinterest once more, the ex-General loosened his fists and raised a hand to scrutinize his fingernails, keeping tabs of the blonde out of the corner of his eye.

"Anything."

The next sigh was more like the expulsion of air when getting punched in the abdomen than the weary release of carbon dioxide from before and the shorter male finally sat upright, resting his forearms on his knees.

"I don't know that you'll be satisfied. You know Hojo tried to clone you with almost zero success at first, right?"

At the elite's apathetic nod, the ex-soldier continued.

"Well starting from scratch didn't seem to be working so he manipulated men already mostly grown. I… might be able to find the recordings of all that was done, but I don't… my memory isn't very good from that period of my life. I remember needles and scalpels and Mako, but the exact procedures are unclear, even after reading over the notes on myself."

Making a short noise to affirm that he heard the words, the ex-SOLDIER stared out of the window at the unbearable sun and the heatwaves roiling through the air. The temperature was horrible beyond the sanctuary of the hotel and Sephiroth did not bother to entertain thoughts on leaving the room. Instead, he pushed himself a little bit further onto the bed and let his gaze idly trail across the room.

"The fact of the matter remains that you were some attempt to recreate me."

Out of the corner of his eye the elite caught the narrowed azure glare but did not react to it.

"He failed to reproduce you and Hojo knew it. It doesn't matter, though."

A slow, oddly intense smirk spread across the shorter male's tan lips.

"I still managed to beat every 'successful' clone."

Snorting, the ex-General picked at the hem of his pristine white shirt, feeling as if the humidity was sticking the garment to his skin.

"I suppose. Do you wish to test your prowess against the original?"

Feline eyes darted over to the blonde's face in expectation, mild surprise coursing through the ex-SOLDIER upon seeing the expression of honest contemplation on boyish features.

"We'd have to be out of town."

If the silver warrior hadn't had such enhanced hearing, the next nearly silent sentence would have been inaudible to him.

"It would be a good challenge, more to see how I've progressed."

A smirk overtook regal features, almost bleeding into an honest smile as the elite watched the little ex-soldier. There was something to be said for taking his situation step-by-step now that he had been released.

"Whenever you would wish it, I will comply to your terms. In the meantime, perhaps you might regale me in better detail as to what you have faced and the dangers I have wrought. I feel I should be better prepared for any accusations against me."


	13. Mystic

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net, livejournal .com

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Sephiroth

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~013 Mystic

Superstitions were for the old and the uninformed. When one knew the science behind the processes, one could predict outcomes or at the very least be unsurprised by the actual possibilities. There was nothing "mystical" about the world. There was barely anything beyond the mundane. Absolutely everything had a logical cause and effect and there was no such thing as coincidence. The concepts behind certain occurrences could be complex, but the science was still _there_.

At least, that was how he used to think. It wasn't until he was in his mid twenties, after a life of science and labs and studies that started the moment he left his mother's womb, that his perception shifted. Undoubtedly it was a slow digression from his single-minded path, but the actual realization of how far he had strayed was sudden and amazing. Logic was no longer the be-all-end-all of the world. Science did not explain certain things, not everything was given to reason, and for as much as his past mentor and current life-venom would detest the word, there was something undeniably enchanting about being alive and aware. There was no simple mathematical formula or chemical equation to give insight into what he now saw, what he felt, and what he lived.

Shin-Ra was still Shin-Ra, all-encompassing and life-draining as an entity. The military was a routine job - a career that meant less and less as the days wore on - and the SOLDIER was not entirely certain that he felt the need to continue down that particular avenue of work. Not even a year ago, if asked, the General would have stated that he would stay at his post until the day he died. Things had changed. Nothing prevented the SOLDIER from taking up work as a mercenary to put his training to good use. Perhaps he could take up a less volatile hobby to whittle away the days of his old age when he finally retired completely.

Feline eyes turned a calm gaze toward the small pendant attached to the chain his dog tags were strung on, phasing out the world that currently surrounded him on all sides by the muzzle of his office and the chain of his duties. It was a simple, unremarkable item, that particular piece of jewelry. Yet the SOLDIER never even took it off to shower anymore. Hojo had yet to comment about the "pathetic philosophical piece of trash," perhaps not yet having taken notice of the miniature triquetra draped against his favorite experiment's chest. It was actually a rather expensive make, the alloy something extracted from the veins deep within the Mythril Mines, and had to have cost significant gil to acquire. This was in direct contrast to the modest red string woven in a hidden plait of silver strands near the base of his skull. Both items had exceptional roots hailing from the ancient cultural lineage of Nibelheim predating written history and descending through time by oral tradition.

The tales and symbolisms were as fascinating as they were emotionally captivating, the somewhat childlike male who emphatically expressed the ideas making them all the more engrossing. Young Cloud Strife, hailing from deep within the Nibel mountain range with a mother who devotedly praised the gods of yore and had taught her son the old tongue from centuries prior to the standardization of language imposed by Shin-Ra, spoke with sincere passion. His lifestyle, developed by his unique history, interactions with people, and guileless character, was so completely impossible for one born from steel and science to comprehend. Living for that boy was an art form, filled with passion and brimming with emotion the likes of which could not be readily quantified. Furthermore, the youth's predictions, all strung together from his homeland's teachings and some extraordinary understanding of the world, defied logic and yet never failed to be accurate. The boy was the culmination of everything that Sephiroth had been taught to disregard as ridiculous. Yet he was the key to opening the war veteran's eyes beyond the narrow scope he had enclosed himself.

The combination of the young blonde clairvoyant and the ambitious, lively SOLDIER who wanted to do good for the whole Planet was enough to crumble the walls of logic surrounding the General's world. Zackary Fair, excitable and energetic and vibrant with life and good will, was wholly unbothered by the older SOLDIER's harsh disposition and almost brutal pragmatism. The young man loved with his whole self and exerted all of his strength into his duty, yet managed to maintain a state of consciousness far outreaching the naivety of youth, oft hidden behind mischievously glittering sapphire eyes. By his side remained the much smaller, more magically adept boy whose accent made every word sound like a gentle ripple in a pond - so soothing in direct contrast. Wide azure eyes took in every day as if the world had been reborn each new morning, finding pleasure in the simplest things such as a well brewed cup of herbal tea. At the same time bright sapphires watched the horizon for the newest adventure and the next chance to make the world a better place. The young soldier spoke with his actions more than his words, earning the vivacious brunette SOLDIER's undying devotion and, much to his own surprise, Sephiroth's as well. The tiny blonde was a gate to so much stress relief, giving the SOLDIER elite a rare chance to see the world from an entirely new perspective.

The change in his mind started so slowly. Subconsciously, the General found himself pausing in the morning to enjoy the flavor of his caffeinated beverage or the colors painted across the horizon by the rising sun. Rain in Midgar ceased being a nuisance and felt soothing, washing away all care until the SOLDIER felt wholly removed from his troubles. It was like meditation, but _better_. Suddenly his eyes were open to what laid beyond science and Shin-Ra and Hojo - what was beyond human control.

One day Professor Hojo would notice the behavioral changes and then Sephiroth did not doubt measures would be taken to rein him in. He had already examined his contract to the Shin-Ra and knew his out when the time came. Zackary would make a fine successor should he choose to stay, which was questionable all things considered. Cloud had little interest in the company, desiring a chance to see the world beyond Nibelheim more than squander his life in politics. The military simply happened to be a tool for such wanderlust. His service contract was biyearly, over in very little time, and the youth had professed that SOLDIER was a good dream only as long as good people ran the program. Sephiroth knew he would have a companion when he turned away from Shin-Ra.

Perhaps then he could stand under the heavy rains of Costa del Sol and listen to the blonde go on about the stories of his youth, relax in ancient forests of Mideel and discuss metaphysics, and learn how to snowboard down the slopes on the northern continent with an individual unafraid to make mistakes as he learned. A gloved hand reached up to fondly touch the pendant on his chest, rubbing against the smooth metal affectionately. Logic was irrelevant. Far more important was desire and emotion; the ability to take in each experience with a full spectrum of thought beyond rationalization was truly what set man apart from beast. Sephiroth looked forward to when he could experience everything without the hanging overshadow of science and politics stifling him.


	14. About Ideals

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction .net, livejournal .com

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K+

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Sephiroth, Zack

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~ 014 About Ideals

Zackary grinned and conversed with the three troopers going with them to Junon. His boisterous, naturally charming nature canceled the seemingly stifling aura that the General emitted on missions and Sephiroth was grateful for his compatriot's ability now and always. He did not seem to be able to fully distract the little blonde trooper, who cast a wary eye toward the silver warrior on occasion, which was truly unfortunate. The elite hand selected those who would follow him on long term missions; he did not take out nameless soldiers and had done his research to maximize the benefits of his chosen support. Every comment, good or bad, ever transcribed by these boys' superiors had been meticulously read over.

The lank brunette, while marked repeatedly for tardiness and general laziness, had excellent test scores and was a natural marksman with a sharp eye and good instincts; his profile pegged him as helpful for fieldwork and to ease the intensity of long term battles. He was only moderate with close-quarters battles, obviously preferring to stand back when he could and pick off opponents from afar. His skills with strategy and tactics were textbook style and could use a great deal of polishing, but the boy was bright enough that he could evolve if he got over his reluctance to train.

The unnaturally tall brunette, on the other hand, had a flair for computers and technology to the point that he could and did hack Shin-Ra's systems more than once, while being moderately proficient with rifles and martial arts and showing signs of adaptability in tactical simulations; his profile showed that his uses in the battlefield were limited but his merits weighed in for any other aspect of the mission. His criminal record was no laughing matter, but all of his wrongdoings involved his obviously underutilized mind. The boy was not a lazy genius by any means and he had long lists of comments that proved he was willing to go the extra mile if he could come up with any feasible benefit to doing so. The fact of the matter was that he would make a better Turk than a SOLDIER, but Sephiroth was not one to go out unprepared for the possible eventualities of a mission.

The little blonde, however, was most fascinating. Unlike most soldiers, he showed prior understanding of close combat weaponry to the point that he had even developed his own freestyle sword technique. Meanwhile his rifle skills were so utterly neglected that he was nearly in the bottom five percent for the year's classes. But then there were several instances that proved his natural leadership qualities, followed by numerous comments about his complete disinterest in leading a squad. And while the greatest majority of soldiers struggled relentlessly for years to establish a decent working relationship with materia spells and casting, the blonde picked up the skill with ridiculous ease, receiving numerous reprimands for uncontrolled use of elemental magics. In a bizarre juxtaposition, the teen exhibited fiercely determined loyalty while also being written up for occasional insubordination. His classwork was average at best, hinting that he might not be very bright, but in a somehow unsurprising twist he displayed a quick wit in combat and survival situations.

The boy made no sense no matter how the General looked at his information. He supposedly aimed for SOLDIER and yet his behavior undoubtedly had him scouted by the Turks. Still, the blonde had absolutely no black marks in his fieldwork and his skills made him suitable for possible eventualities should both SOLDIERs be indisposed. The three soldiers together would be a formidable enough team to last should problems arise. Plus, Sephiroth wanted the chance to observe potential SOLDIERs before he weighted his opinion in the final determination of inductees.

The little blonde needed to be tested, just like the other two, and for that the elite had to be patient. That the boys were unnerved by the General being on the same mission as they were was sadly predictable, but the SOLDIER was a responsible adult and he would do everything in his power to prevent his subordinates from coming to harm regardless of his petty irritation at them. Zackary was just as likely to step in should unfortunate issues arise, making this mission possibly one of the safest for these three soldiers, regardless of all other circumstance.

A subtle shift caused the elite to blink feline eyes as if coming out of a stupor, realizing quickly that the young blonde was standing up. His balance was good for being in a moving vehicle with poor shock absorption and he naturally changed his footing to accommodate the tilting floor. To give the soldiers a little bit of breathing room, Sephiroth had positioned himself in the back of the truck closest to the open end, so he was more than mildly surprised when the one who seemed so uncertain of him moved to sit so close to him. Sapphire eyes cast a short look at the boy as he passed before ignoring the blonde, keeping up his conversation with the other two. The teen sat down heavily, folding his arms against the tailgate and resting his head on top. For a moment, azure eyes scanned the horizon before the boy shut his eyes and seemed to droop. It was only at that moment that the silver warrior realized that the soldier looked a bit ill.

Oddly enough, it was comforting to know that the wary looks that had been sent his way weren't really targeted at the elite for being _the General_ as much as being _in the way_. Just another note to add to the boy's already interesting file.


	15. Troubled

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction .net, livejournal .com

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K+

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Zack

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~015 Troubled

Brow furrowed, pale blue eyes stared sightlessly out toward the horizon obscured by enormous metal skeletons. During the day, the high towers and glass buildings were terribly imposing. It was a completely different world than the one of earth and snow he had grown up in. Back in Nibelheim, the only metal anything was weaponry. It wasn't really the backwater town the rest of his troop teased him about; he had a good education, could read and write better than almost any boy from below the Plate, and could do basic arithmetic easily. His town was poor, true, but that didn't make it pathetic. There was running water and a fully functional sewage system even before the Shin-Ra overhaul of the town, which was more than could be said for some of the surrounding villages. Just because there were only four television stations, two of which were news stations, didn't make his birth town a village of hicks. Television was kind of boring anyway; the mountains were a great place to spend time exploring. The wildlife was dangerous, sure, but that was true no matter were you lived. His troop just didn't understand him.

"Hey, Spike."

A large hand fell open-palmed onto the top of his head and azure eyes blinked before turning to watch the figure suddenly beside him take a seat. The cold cement underneath earned a quiet grumble as the older man settled. Pale eyes took in the uniformed body as the leather-clad hand slid off from blonde locks to rest against pavement, afterward turning out toward the nearby storefronts. After the other settled, tan lips twitched in a subtle smile before falling into a contemplative frown.

"Zack, sir."

Sapphire eyes cast up at the buildings crowding out the sky before resting on the passing foot traffic.

"Kind of an odd place to spend your day off."

Blinking, the smaller male cocked his head and fully faced the brunette next to him.

"Is it a big deal?"

Snorting, the SOLDIER raised a hand to ruffle blonde locks.

"Not at all. Just wondering why you haven't gone down below with the rest of your troop."

Sighing, the young soldier drew his knees up to his chest and linked his arms around them.

"It bothers me, not seeing the sky."

With a soft, unidentifiable noise, Zack leaned forward and rested his elbows against his thighs.

"You know, for months after I got here I thought it was too damn cold. It hardly ever gets cold enough to snow in Gongaga. And, man, there're no trees or bushes or _anything_ in Midgar. It was really jarring. I missed my parents and friends a lot, too."

Pale eyes watched his friend and superior silently, never really surprised anymore when the SOLDIER suddenly decided to volunteer information about himself.

"But... I had a goal when I came here and I liked to imagine how proud everyone would be back home when I reached it."

Silent for a moment more, the young soldier rested his head against his knees and gazed out at the pedestrians on the other side of the street.

"Thanks, Zack. I guess it's obvious how much I miss Nibelheim. The mountains are really pretty this time of year. It's the only time you ever see flowers blooming. The Nibel dragons molt now, too. Some of the scales are bigger than my hand."

The teen held up his appendage to illustrate, mildly amused by the brunette's impressed whistle.

"It's just... weird to be away. By now I'd be helping make the next year's mead and pulling the wool into thread before it gets dyed-"

A hand waving in his face gave the blonde pause, at which point the SOLDIER cut in.

"Wait, wait, wait. You make booze?"

Not certain what was wrong, the teen nodded. Incredulous sapphires widened before the brunette raised a fist up at the sky.

"Damn it! I was born to the wrong town! I bet you drink, too."

Tilting his head curiously, the blonde grunted as the other man dropped his fist.

"Un. There isn't a drinking age in Nibelheim. We don't really drink like here, though. You'd have a hard time finding a bunch of drunks."

Laughing, the SOLDIER brought a hand to his own head and winked.

"So being around a bunch of boys who don't know their limits really gets to you."

Shrugging, the soldier leaned back and stretched his legs out before himself.

"It's not really that important. I just... my town is important to me."

Nodding, Zack brought his legs in and stood up.

"Everyone has something like that. Don't let it get you down, though."


	16. G59

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction .net, livejournal .com

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: T

Characters/Pairings: Cloud, Vincent

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~016 G59

"The serum was untested for a good reason."

Looking up from his seated position at one of the lab terminals in the decaying basement, the blonde regarded the red eyes glowing at him from the shadows.

"What makes you think it went untested?"

Black-clothed form striding forward, the tall brunette shut the book in his grasp with a sharp snap.

"The method of creation was abominable and Professor Gast forbade its continued production, much less use. Lucrecia refused to to have any part of it, either."

Luminous blue eyes watched the deathly pale man a moment longer before returning to the terminal before him.

"Abominable? Since when has that stopped Hojo?"

Crimson eyes turned to gaze at the walls lined in books and notes, pale lips bowed into a slight frown.

"Sephiroth was never exposed to it prenatally and there are no references to its use on his person up until his transfer to Midgar."

Azure eyes rose briefly before dropping back to the computer screen, seemingly dismissing the topic. The brunette turned to replace the book, having finished his particular research project, and moved on into the next room of the basement library. The soft clack of depressed keys was the only sound in the stagnant air for a few minutes before metal scrapped against stone as the blonde stood up and stretched. After removing the kinks from his limbs, he turned and followed the older man into the other room. No one else could fathom why the two of them spent so much time in a place full of so many terrible memories, but then no one else had the notes at their fingertips to help recover _years_ of their lives. Painful it might be to read over such a cold analysis of your existence, your failings and all of the things done to you simply for the sake of research, but neither experiment believed that ignorance was bliss.

Striding into the cramped study, the swordsman ran a gloved hand over the spines of several books before finding the one he desired. Leafing through the pages of notes, back to the taller man silently sorting over a shelf of tomes, the blonde grunted in quiet curiosity.

"For it going untested, you know a bit about it."

The gunman remained silent and Cloud made a small sound of annoyance, looking up from the pages he had been browsing only to turn to find another book, keeping his current page by way of holding his finger against the proper paragraph as he shut the slowly rotting book.

"Hojo left a lot of notes about something he didn't use."

Red eyes followed the blonde as he returned to the other room, eyeing the shelves until he spotted the referenced tome. Plucking it from its space, the swordsman returned to the computer terminal and set down both books in his possession. Searching out the needed reference, Cloud settled down to read until his eyes hurt or he got too hungry. Therefore, glowing blue eyes jerked up in surprise when his companion spoke lowly from a nearby bookshelf.

"Hojo was not a bad man; he was possessed by his thirst for knowledge. I do not hold any pleasant memories of him, but I do not believe that he would use such measures on his own son."

With a nonplussed expression, the blonde returned to the book before him.

"I didn't doubt you when you said Sephiroth never had it."

After a few minutes of silence, a book suddenly impacted on the stone floor and caused the swordsman to jolt, adrenaline surging in reaction to possible threats. What met blue eyes, however, was an obviously startled brunette. The gunman's face was grim, his fingers slack although his hands were still in position to hold a now absent tome, and bright crimson eyes stared eerily at the younger man.

"You... are the recipient?"

Off put and somewhat annoyed to find the surge of power wholly unnecessary, the blonde frowned.

"Zack, too. I thought it was weird that he'd never used it on anything else but I guess you know better than I've figured out."

Swift strides drew the ex-Turk to the swordsman's side. A gloved hand rested on an armored shoulder as the brunette spoke.

"You should rest for today, Cloud. That is information that will take time to process."

Staring silently at the currently blank terminal, the blonde flexed his grip on the book in his hands.

"Hojo's always been a sick bastard to me, but I think I'm just starting to realize how much."

Standing fluidly, Cloud turned toward the door separating the library and laboratory from the rest of the basement and shouldered his complex blade. Behind him, Vincent unholstered his gun and followed, sealing up the room as they left. Aside from the occasional grunt from aggressive strikes to Mako-mutants milling about the path, the journey out of the basement was a silent affair. It was only once the duo was standing just outside the gate to the Nibelheim mansion that the blonde spoke again.

"I would've hated it no matter what, but Zack didn't deserve to have something like that given to him."

Clawed hand brushing subtly against the swordsman's arm, the ex-Turk bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Do not shoulder this burden for yourself, Cloud."

With a heavy sigh, the blonde turned his gaze idly toward the quiet town that was no longer his home.

"What worries me the most is that I'm not sure Shin-Ra was unaware of the way Hojo 'recycled' corpses."


	17. Insect

Title: Mako Blood

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction .net, livejournal .com

Summary: A series of unrelated shorts from freehand writing. Each chapter is intended to be based on a different "theme."

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Aerith, Zack

Author Notes: As a challenge to myself, I am trying to limit these to be between one and three pages of text in Open Office. It may be noted that some of the short fictions involve snippets that are identical to longer pieces. This is due to those particular short fictions originally being written intentionally as part of the longer works but then discarded as unsuitable and later edited and revised to be separate entities.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

~~017 Insect

Very, very slowly, a gloved hand crept toward the deep green stalk of a newly blooming flower. Multifacited eyes twitched, forcing the hand to pause for a minute. Drawing nearer again, fingers poised for the strike before a quiet voice broke the silence, causing the hand to jerk.

"What are you doing?"

The tiny red and black shell parted, wings exposed to fly away. With a swift movement, the little beetle was gone.

"Aerith, you ruined it!"

Emerald eyes blinked in surprise before the brunette woman cocked her head to the side in question. The wicker basket held in loosely laced hands pressed against the front of her pink dress, shifting the contents.

"Ruined what?"

With an annoyed huff, the gloved hand reached up to ruffle raven locks as sapphire eyes turned toward the young woman standing halfway down the long isle of pews. The dilapidated church creaked around them although no wind could possibly shift the structure, buried under the Plate as it was.

"I'm protecting your flowers!"

Bringing a hand up to cover her smile, Aerith laughed softly and strode down the center isle. Placing her basket at the edge of the dirt, she stepped another few paces in and knelt down on the soft ground next to the SOLDIER. Folding her hands in her lap, Aerith tilted her head to fully face the man next to her.

"That's very kind of you, Zack. What have you been fending off?"

The simple honest curiosity of her words caused the brunette man to hook both hands behind his head and grin.

"There's these little pests that I keep spotting on the flowers. I don't want them eating all your hard work – especially before you get the chance to enjoy the results. I almost got another one, but I guess I was concentrating too hard because you startled me. Eh... I'll get it next time I see it."

Perking up, the SOLDIER dropped his hands into the dirt and shuffled closer to his pink-clothed companion.

"Ne, did you have a good day? Sell out? How's mom doing?"

Smiling brightly, the young woman shooed Zack out of the flower bed and turned her focus on her flowers. Deftly, she worked through the bed, soothing the plants and plucking the choking weeds.

"I sold out of the full blooms. Reno chased away a few muggers for me. He's kind of silly about it, though; I can outrun them just fine. And mom's doing just fine. She wants to know when your next visit is, though."

Pausing her hands, emerald eyes turned up to the patiently waiting SOLDIER.

"Oh, I almost forgot! The fence is broken again. I found the right kind of scrap metal to mend it, but it's a bit heavy. Would you mind helping?"

Winking, Zack took a seat on a nearby pew and laid his sword against the aged wood.

"No problem. Just show me where and I'll do whatever you need. And I've got a mission early tomorrow but I can stop in and say hi tonight after we fix the fence. Eh... I'll come visit when I get back, too. It should just be a day long thing but you know how bad I am with timing."

Laughing to herself, Aerith nodded and returned to her plants.

"Well let's have a good dinner tonight, then."

Swiftly, the SOLDIER dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together in front of his chest, eyes turned up toward the ceiling.

"Thank Titan for the best cook in the world inviting me to dinner and I promise to enjoy every bite!"

Rolling her eyes, the young woman stood up and dusted her skirt off. Satisfied, she exited the flower bed and picked up her basket.

"Any more dramatics and you're getting mold."

Popping up to his feet and grabbing his sword, the SOLDIER matched the flower girl's pace down the isle between pews.

"So mean! Elmyra won't let you!"

Elbowing the brunette in his arm, Aerith turned an amused glance at him.

"Mom will too if I tell her you're being rude."

Pouting, Zack crossed his arms and sulked for a moment.

"Oh!"

Sapphire eyes snapped toward the young woman, right hand immediately gripping the hilt of the sword on his back. To his surprise, the little red and black beetle from earlier was perched on Aerith's wrist, completely still for a moment. Bringing his hand from his sword, the SOLDIER pointed a finger at the bug.

"Ah! That! That's what ran away!"

Bringing her wrist up to her face to inspect her guest, the brunette woman shot an amused glance toward the miffed warrior.

"It's a lady bug. They eat little bugs that eat leaves."

Sapphires blinked a moment before Zack scowled.

"So that's not a pest?"

Turning back to face the flowers, Aerith held her wrist steady by her lips and puffed out a quick breath. The bug fluttered off, back toward the vibrant patch of green, and the flower girl lowered her hand.

"No, it's a friend."


End file.
